


When it came time to leave, it was never the right day

by jannika



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 08:38:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3168530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jannika/pseuds/jannika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Did you want me to come rescue you from the handsome not-really-a-stranger during the blizzard with the car I don’t have?" Louis asks.</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>AU. Zayn can't get home from work because of the snow storm. Liam lives right around the corner and isn't about to just let Zayn freeze. Fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When it came time to leave, it was never the right day

**Author's Note:**

> Just a tiny little bit of snowed in fluff, because it's cold outside and I've felt pretty stuck inside myself, so why not really?

Zayn is woken up from his before-work nap by ice-cold hands on either side of his face. He shoves them away before even opening his eyes. 

“Fuck off,” he grumbles, kicking his feet out a little for good measure, too.

“Baby,” Louis deadpans from above him, “it’s cold outside.” 

“Go away,” Zayn groans, opening one eye to see Louis grinning at him, looking red-faced from the cold and terribly pleased with himself.

“Don’t fall asleep on the couch if you don’t want me to wake you up,” Louis says, for probably the third time this month, at least. The last time had been when he sat on Zayn four days ago - just got home from work and threw himself down, still wet from the snow, right on top of sleeping Zayn. He’s the worst possible roommate, actually, and the only person in the world Zayn thinks he could stand to live with. Zayn sighs and sits up, keeping the blankets pulled around him. It’s not just cold outside, it’s fucking miserable outside, it’s down-to-the-bone-horrific-even-when-you’re-wearing-multiple-layers cold, when you swear the wind is going to knock you over and your muscles cramp up and you can’t really breathe right. Cold is an understatement. 

“You could just come in quietly, like a normal person,” Zayn says. Louis rolls his eyes and unwraps the scarf around his neck.

“You would sleep through all your shifts if I let you. You’re lucky to have me,” Louis says. Zayn scowls. He and Louis have ended up with opposite work schedules this winter, so Louis gets home about an hour before Zayn has to leave and is gone before Zayn gets up in the morning most days. 

“You’re a menace,” Zayn says, shaking his head and trying to will himself up and into the steaming hot shower he’s hoping will keep away some of the cold, at least. Louis grins again and throws himself down onto the couch, stealing the blanket Zayn has just gotten out of.

“And you’re already running late,” Louis says, shoving his hips against Zayn’s. He’s not wrong, actually. Zayn is already running late and he’s got a shower to take and at least four layers to put on. Not that he’d admit that to Louis, of course. He gets up and tries not to groan and mostly succeeds. He’s certain it is entirely too cold for this whole leaving-the-flat thing.

*  
After his incredibly long, incredibly slow, shift, Zayn is sitting at the bus stop attempting not to think about how much the cold feels like dying. The streets are empty because, as closing manager, he’s at the store a good hour after everyone else has left and all the other businesses have closed, more so on a night like tonight when everyone has gone off to be somewhere warm as soon as possible. Zayn figures he’s got about four minutes until the next bus, the closest timing he’s been able to work out since starting these shifts - cut it any closer and he’ll miss it because it’ll be early, go out any early and it’ll be ten minutes behind. He buries his hands deep in his pockets and tries to sink as far into his layers as he can, closing his eyes just for a second against the wind and the snow that is starting to swirl and listening for the bus. 

He hears footsteps but ignores them, assuming it’s someone else waiting for the same bus as him until a throat clears and a voice says, “um, Zayn?” kind of nervously. 

Zayn opens his eyes to see Liam, who comes the store a lot, and is friends with Harry who works with Louis and is at Zayn’s place at least three times a week, standing and staring at him, a dog pulling on the leash in his hand.

“Hey,” Zayn says. 

“Everything’s all shut down, with the cold, and all that snow that’s coming, it’s a state of emergency, like? Last buses for the night went out two hours ago, because no one is supposed to be out, so. If you’re waiting,” Liam says. Zayn’s head is stabbing all of a sudden. 

“Fuck,” Zayn says, more to himself than to Liam. 

“You could, I mean. If you need to figure out what to do to get somewhere warm, I live just around the corner, if you want,” Liam says. Zayn considers telling Liam that he really doesn’t have to do that, that Zayn will be fine, and maybe if it was warmer and earlier in the day he would have, but right now Zayn is getting colder by the second, and he doesn’t know Liam very well but he’s heard enough stories to be fairly certain he’s not a serial killer or anything, so he nods. 

“You wouldn’t mind?” Zayn asks, standing up. Liam shakes his head quickly.

“Not at all!” Liam says.Thinking about it, Zayn feels like he’s heard Liam was like this, that he was the type who would never let someone sit in the cold for a bus that wasn’t coming if he could help. There’s a story he can hear in Harry’s voice about a weekend and a flat tire and Niall and other details Zayn doesn’t remember. Liam leads the way to an entryway that really is just around the corner and opens the door, letting his dog run up the small flight of stairs.

“Thanks,” Zayn says as they walk up the stairs themselves. Liam shakes his head again and looks at Zayn with ridiculously earnest eyes. 

“No problem at all,” Liam says, gesturing to a soft-looking couch and then starting to take his coat off. “Do you need anything? I have tea and coffee, or hot cocoa? I can get you a blanket or warm clothes, anything?” Liam says.

“I’m alright, just going to make a phone call,” Zayn says, even though truthfully he has no idea how he’s possibly going to get home.

“I was going to make some cocoa for myself anyway,” Liam says, “it’s really no trouble.” Zayn sits on Liam’s couch and pulls out his phone, and, okay, even with the two pairs of gloves he’d had on, his hands are sort of numb and holding a mug of something warm actually does sound pretty great.

“Thanks,” Zayn says again, nodding his head. Liam beams like maybe he’s really excited to make hot cocoa and heads off into the kitchen. Zayn watches him go and then dials Louis.

“Are you dead?” Louis asks when he picks up. Zayn rolls his eyes.

“I’m at Liam’s. You know, Harry’s mate with-”

“I know who Liam is,” Louis says, cutting him off, “are you really? Well done.”

“No. Not like _that_ ,” Zayn hisses, hoping Liam can’t hear, “the buses aren’t running and he lives by the store and saw me.”

“Oh. Well that’s boring,” Louis says, sounding a little disappointed. 

“I really appreciate your concern,” Zayn says.

“Did you want me to come rescue you from the handsome not-really-a-stranger in the snow storm with the car I don’t have?” Louis asks. Zayn sighs.

“No, but,” Zayn starts, but Louis cuts him off again.

“Because it sounds like you were already rescued.”

“Louis,” Zayn says. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but this is the opposite of helpful.

“You should go for it, since you’re already at his place,” Louis says. 

“This is not why I called,” Zayn says, running a hand through his hair. 

“Are you telling me you don’t want him? He’s your type, maybe this is fate!” Louis says.

“I’m hanging up on you,” Zayn says, and then does just that. He does a quick search on his phone and finds that not only are buses not running until at least tomorrow afternoon, but that a road closing and very dangerous amount of snow is supposed to fall overnight, making travel even worse. His phone lights up with three messages from Louis:

_Dick._

_Harry says Liam is very single and you should go for it._

_Niall agrees._

Zayn closes his eyes briefly and wonders it it would trip the alarm if he used his keys to get back in the store and sleep there. Liam comes back in then, mugs in hand. He smiles and hands Zayn one before sitting down and pulling a bag of marshmallows out of the pocket of his hoodie

“I didn’t know if you would want any,” Liam says, shrugging and putting the down on the table, “any luck?”

“I’ll figure something out,” Zayn says, take a sip, “thanks again.”

“You know,” Liam says, biting his lip, “I know we’re not - that we don’t really know each other, but we have a lot of the same friends so I feel like we sort of do, and it’s just supposed to get worse out there, and this couch is really comfortable and I’ve got blankets, so. If you can’t safely get anywhere you could just. Stay.”

“Stay,” Zayn repeats, reaching for a handful of marshmallows. He is pretty sure he should turn that down, but. Cold and snow, and Liam isn’t wrong, it’s not like they’re actually strangers. (And maybe, maybe Louis isn’t entirely wrong either. Maybe Zayn likes to look at Liam with his big eyes and crinkling smile and the way his sweater fits over his arms, maybe Zayn likes the way Liam is all concerned and helpful. Maybe Zayn has noticed before tonight. A little.)

“You’re already here, so,” Liam says, shrugging again.

“I don’t want to be in your way or anything,” Zayn says, studying the way Liam’s hands fidget around his mug. 

“I’m pretty sure everything is going to be cancelled tomorrow, at least for me, and we could figure out how to get you to whatever you have to do in the morning,” Liam says. Zayn really can’t figure out how to argue with that. 

“The buses aren’t running until at least afternoon,” Zayn says, thinking. He’s thinking that one night really can’t hurt and that it’s a lot better than sleeping in the store, when Liam’s dog wanders up and deposits a stuffed toy from its mouth directly onto Zayn’s lap. 

“Looks like Loki wants you to stay,” Liam says, laughing. Zayn smiles and sets his mug down to properly pet Loki.

“I can’t really argue with that,” Zayn says. Liam beams.

“Best not to, really,” Liam says, “I’ll grab you blankets and something to sleep in.”

“Thanks,” Zayn says, still focusing most of his attention on Loki. He is a bit of a sucker for dogs. And for dogs who belong to hot guys. And for dogs who belong to the kind of hot guys who save near-strangers from the cold and name their dog something like Loki. 

“I hope these work,” Liam says, coming back and depositing blankets, pillows, and some sweats on the couch. Zayn grins up at him.

“Loki, huh?” He says. Liam flushes a little. 

“M’a bit of a geek, really,” Liam says, sitting back down, smiling and looking a touch flustered.

“Me too,” Zayn says, scratching Loki’s head. 

“Oh,” Liam says, smiling brighter, taking up his whole face, “I have movies, if you want? If you’re not too tired, I mean.”

“Sounds good,” Zayn says. Liam beams again. 

They make it through three more cups of hot cocoa, a frozen pizza, and two movies before Zayn falls asleep. The couch really is comfortable.

*

He wakes up in the morning wrapped in blankets. He untangles himself and heads to Liam’s kitchen, toward the smell of food.

“Hey,” he says. Liam turns around and smiles at him, all soft, in a warm-looking flannel shirt and sweatpants.

“Hi! I hope I didn’t wake you up or anything,” Liam says. He’s got a griddle out, flipping amazing-looking pancakes like maybe he makes elaborate breakfast every morning. 

“You didn’t,” Zayn says, smiling back, “smells good.”

“Yeah? I figured it was hard to go wrong with pancakes, they’re almost done,” Liam says, grinning even wider. Zayn nods and sits at the table, checking his phone while Liam finishes breakfast. He’s got a voicemail telling him the store will be closed all day today and a text from Louis asking if he’s dead that he decides to ignore for now. The weather app on his phone claims snow is going to continue falling all day, piling on top of last night’s downfall. 

“Thanks,” Zayn says when Liam slides a plate to him.

“I don’t really get to cook for other people often, so,” Liam says, shrugging. Zayn shakes his head and takes a bite, and then stops himself from saying that Liam can cook for him anytime he likes really. 

“Really good,” he says instead, making Liam flush.

“Oh. Good, then,” Liam says, “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” Zayn says. “Um, it looks like there are still no buses, and my store is closed all day.”

“You can stay as long as you need, my classes are canceled too, so I’m not going anywhere,” Liam says. 

“Classes?” Zayn asks, curious. Liam nods quickly.

“I took some time, well, I took a lot of time off, I just started back in the fall,” Liam says. 

“So you’re a full-time student now?” Zayn asks.

“Yeah. It,” Liam pauses and puts his fork down thoughtfully, “It was like, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or even if I needed a proper degree like? I did a summer with my uncle in his garage to see if that was a better fit, I took bunch of jobs to save money and try them out. Before that I wanted to be a runner, or a pop star. Harry and I had a band for a year at one point, the same year Niall and I worked at that bar. So, now I have savings and I know what I’m working towards, so it made sense. Even if it’s embarrassing to be starting out now.”

“Seriously?” Zayn says, “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m jealous, actually.”

“You are?” Liam asks.

“Yeah, I’d love to still be in school, or go back, like, I miss it,” Zayn says, truthfully. He’s thought about it a lot, actually. Being the closing shift manager thirty hours a week at a store he hates had not exactly been the plan, but he hasn’t been able to find anything else, no one else has been calling, no matter how many resumes he sends out. 

“You’re an artist, though, right?” Liam asks. 

“Not exactly,” Zayn says, a little taken aback. He’s pretty sure he hadn’t mentioned anything about art. Liam frowns. 

“At your place - I was there with Harry not too long ago, and the art in your kitchen, awesome stuff, Louis said you did it, so, I thought,” Liam says. 

“Oh,” Zayn says, “it’s a hobby, though. Not what I went to school for or anything.”

“You’re really fantastic, though. I mean, what I saw,” Liam says. 

“Whatever,” Zayn says, shrugging, but smiling a little. 

“What did you go to school for, then?” Liam asks, and Zayn really appreciates that Liam doesn’t push it, but doesn’t drop it either. 

“English, thought about teaching, but,” Zayn says, “What are you going for?”

“Music production. I want to do the business end of music,” Liam says. 

“Nice,” Zayn says, nodding.

“What would you go back for?” Liam asks. 

“I don’t know,” Zayn says. When he thought he’d teach, it had seemed like such a good plan, a solid life path just ready to be taken. He’s been sort of lost without it. 

“Well,” Liam says, taking a sip of coffee, “I’ve had all sorts of experience, so if you’re looking for insight into any particular field, I can help.”

“Good to know,” Zayn says, laughing and then adding, “do you think that helped you? All those jobs?”

“It did. I’ve always been best at things I was genuinely interested in, you know? I’d do awful studying something I wasn’t like, passionate about, but I’m doing really well with these courses. And that’s what I was looking for, something to really care about and be really good at. That’s just me, though,” Liam says. Zayn nods, thoughtfully. 

“Makes sense,” He says. Liam grins. They eat in silence for a few minutes, thinking, until Liam says.

“So, if you’re staying for a bit, do you want to come with me to take Loki out? I’ll lend you more clothes.” 

*

They end up staying out longer than they’d meant to. The snow is deep and the air is freezing and nothing is open at all, but they make a few laps, Zayn getting a few cigarettes in while they do. It’s terrible and nice all at once. 

*

Liam lends him yet another change of clothes when they get back in and offers him a shower. Zayn takes him up on it, staying under the water for far too long until his skin hurts with it and then slowly pulling on Liam’s clothes, a sweater that’s a little big and track pants. He notices as he moves his phone into the pocket of the pants that Louis has texted four more times, so he sends him back a quick

_not dead. tell you later_

before heading out into the hall and toward Liam’s living room. He’s walking past what must be Liam’s bedroom, and he’s not planning to stop and look or anything but he catches out of the corner of his eye, with the way Liam’s door is only about three-fourths closed, the reflection in Liam’s mirror. One that is currently showing Liam pulling a sweater on over a very small tight undershirt, which is. Distracting. And so Zayn stands for a minute thinking about Liam’s arms and the tattoos on them and the way they look ridiculously strong and like they’d be able to lift things. Zayn-sized things, even. And how that’s really unfairly hot and- and then Liam catches Zayn’s eye in the mirror and gives him this little half smile and Zayn shakes his head and tries to be less distracted. 

“Hi, um,” Liam says coming out into the hall, “find everything okay?”

“Yeah, I put the other stuff in the hamper that was there,” Zayn says. The air is a bit awkward now, and Zayn debates saying something or denying he was looking at anything, but then Liam grins again.

“I’ve got comics and my video games in here, if you want to, like,” Liam says, pushing his bedroom door open wide. 

“Definitely,” Zayn says, making Liam smile even brighter. 

*

Somehow an entire afternoon passes really quickly. They play some games and read through Liam’s collection and talk in between and eat snacks Liam keeps making and it’s dark again before Zayn notices. The snow is still falling when Liam makes dinner that he won’t let Zayn help with. Zayn almost hopes it keeps up so he can stay longer, spend another day hidden from everything with Liam. They eat dinner in Liam’s room, sitting on his floor with comics spread around them. 

“We’ll have to lend each other these,” Zayn says, glancing at a pile of Liam’s comics he’d been meaning to get his hands on for a while. “I have stuff you don’t, and there are things here I’ve been dying to read.”

“I’d like that,” Liam says, grinning bright again. 

“It’s strange we’ve never hung out before,” Zayn says, voicing a thought he’s had since breakfast, “we’ve got like, all the same friends and we like all the same things.”

“Yeah,” Liam says. He bites his lip and stares down at his knees and then up at Zayn and adds, “I wanted us to, though.”

“Wanted us to,” Zayn repeats, putting down his plate and sliding a little closer. 

“I always wondered, but then I thought,” Liam stops and shrugs and gives Zayn a half grin. 

“You want to keep doing this then, after the snow melts and you’re not stuck with me and all?” Zayn asks. Liam flushes again, goes all the way re,d and Zayn thinks he gets it, he knows what Liam is saying here. He thinks, well, he thinks that as much as he hates when Louis is right, Louis was probably right. So he scoots closer and when Liam leans in as well, closes the gap even more, Zayn is sure of it.

“I’m pretty sure you’re stuck with me not the other way around,” Liam says, “but yes. I really do.”

“Would this hanging out be date-type hanging out?” Zayn ventures, maybe more to the wall than to Liam’s face, just in case he’s wrong, but Liam moves in even closer. 

“If you’d want it to be,” Liam says, and Zayn feels himself nod and then feels Liam’s lips on his, quick and urgent and fucking warm and fantastic. 

“Yeah,” Zayn says when they break apart, just for a second and then they’re leaning back in and kissing again and again, becoming slightly less urgent and slight more needy all at once, slower and deeper and Zayn snakes a hand under Liam’s shirt and Liam makes this filthy sort of noise in his throat and then they’re leaning and heading towards the flood and Liam is mostly on top of him and then-

“Wait,” Liam says, pulling back, still mostly on top of Zayn, “Wait, Zayn.”

“Okay?” Zayn asks, breathing unsteady, unsure if he should move or at least move his hands off Liam a little. 

“I didn’t, like - this is not why I asked you to come here, it wasn’t this,” Liam says, looking a little troubled. 

“What?” Zayn asks, a bit lost.

“I just need you to know that I didn’t only not want you to freeze because I was into you and this has all been some ploy to get in your pants or whatever, you know? I didn’t do anything for this, for you, yes, but not because, I mean,” Liam stops, redder than ever, and Zayn is torn between wanting him to talk forever and wanting to stop him from worrying about anything ever again.

“I never thought you had any ulterior motives,” Zayn says, shaking his head and smiling, very much keeping his hands on Liam.

“I,” Liam stops, “I just wanted you to know, I didn’t do anything to get anything, or have anything planned, or.”

“I know,” Zayn says, because he does. Because as absurdly endearing as this all is, he’s having trouble imagining Liam doing anything with an angle or a ploy. Not that the thought of Liam having some grand seduction scheme actually sounds all that terrible, but he gets what Liam is trying say here, so he doesn’t mention it. Maybe another time. 

“Okay,” Liam says, smiling again a little.

“Good?” Zayn asks, and Liam leans down to kiss him again in answer. 

“If you wanted, since I interrupted us anyway, we could, I mean. My bed is right there,” Liam says. Zayn grins and actually moves his hands off Liam, and they make their way up the bed, managing to get six more kisses in on the way. 

“Better,” Zayn says, once he’s leaning back against the soft warmth of Liam’s mattress.

“Stay here all night?” Liam asks, leaning down, “not here in my apartment, because you’re stuck, but right here, with me?”

“That was sort of my plan,” Zayn says, grinning, the word stay echoing in his head on repeat. He’s rewarded with Liam straddling him and kissing him fully, leaving him breathless.

He thinks he’ll stay as long as Liam asks. 

*

In the morning he wakes up to a world of snow that’s now new and still, one more cancelled work day, and a text from Louis that reads:

_If I ever have to hear news about you because Liam told it to Harry ever again our friendship is over. (I TOLD YOU SO, dick.)_

He rolls his eyes and shows Liam, who admits Harry had been checking up on him all day, but says all he’d sent him in return late last night was a very happy emoticon. Zayn texts Louis back just once, and then they both turn their phones off, and stay in bed. All day.


End file.
